Modulation of Colorectal Cancer by the Probiotic Organism Lactobacillus Reuteri

Abstract Probiotics are beneficial to gastrointestinal health and have anti-inflammatory properties. An experiment was conducted to determine if L. reuteri could protect mice from azoxymethane-induced colorectal cancer (AOM-CRC). A/J mice were randomly assigned to controls, pre-treatment, or post-treatment groups. The mice in the groups were injected with 10mg/kg body weight of AOM and treated with L. reuteri; given only AOM; given only L. reuteri; or given neither AOM nor L. reuteri. At the end of a 26-week latency period, the mice were euthanized, dissected, and colons examined for tumors. L. reuteri did not protect animals against tumor formation. However, L. reuteri treatment had a significant effect on tumor number when the mice were segregated by gender (p = 0.014). There was no significant effect of regimen on tumor number (p = 0.667) or tumor size (p = 0.197). Ultimately, L. reuteri exhibited probiotic properties as a potential prophylactic treatment for colitis